Locking unit, housing having a locking unit, and method for unlocking one or more doors of the housing

ABSTRACT

Provided is a locking unit for a housing, comprising at least two doors for locking each housing opening. The locking unit has a locking element module for each of the doors, and the module has at least one locking body and a locking drive for actuating the locking body. The locking drive has a common drive element for the locking element modules, which drive element can be moved about a displacement path, and which, in a first displacement position, brings the locking body, for only one of the doors or only a first group of doors, of the doors into an unlocking position, and in a second displacement position, brings the locking body for all doors into an unlocking position. The invention also relates to a housing comprising a locking unit of this type, and to a method for unlocking one or more doors of a housing of this type.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS

This patent application is a continuation of PCT/EP2014/076556, filedDec. 4, 2014, which claims priority to German Application No. 10 2013113 554.4, filed Dec. 5, 2013, and German Application No. 10 2014 105241.2, filed Apr. 11, 2014, the entire teachings and disclosure of whichare incorporated herein by reference thereto.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a locking unit for a housing, in particular fora receptacle for objects, having at least two doors for lockingrespective housing openings, in particular leading to storagecompartments. The housing with the storage compartments may be,according to one particularly preferred embodiment, a parcel box or aparcel mailbox for accommodating letters and parcels which are to bedelivered and in which the first housing opening opens into a firststorage compartment for parcels, and the second housing opening opensinto a second storage compartment for letters. These two storagecompartments can each be locked by means of a door, wherein the door ofthe second storage compartment has a slot for inserting letters withoutopening the door of the storage compartment. In contrast, in order toplace a parcel in the first storage compartment, the door of this firststorage compartment must be open. The invention also relates to ahousing having a locking unit according to the invention and a methodfor unlocking one or more doors of a housing according to the invention.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Owing to the increasing use of e-commerce and of online mail orderbusiness, the number of parcels sent in the mail has risensignificantly. A significant target group of this Internet business ismade up of employed people who appreciate, in particular, theconvenience and the independence from the opening times of retailoutlets. However, these advantages become fully effective only when thegoods which are ordered online can also be conveniently delivered.However, home delivery poses problems particularly for the target groupof employed people because the customers making the orders arefrequently not at home at the time of delivery.

Against this background, it is desirable to provide, in addition to thenormal delivery of letters in letter mailboxes with slot-shaped openingsfor the insertion of the letters, also a possibility which isindependent of the presence of the receiver, so that relatively largeshipments such as small packets or parcels can be delivered.

For this purpose, large collection stations are already known which havea plurality of storage compartments in which a mail delivery agent canplace the parcels. After users of the collection stations have receivedappropriate notification from the delivery agent and have proven theiridentity at the collection station, they can open the correspondingstorage compartment and remove the parcel. A corresponding system isdescribed, for example, in DE 20 2011 101 134 U1. However, disadvantagesof these collection stations are the expenditure on their administrationand collection of the parcels for the user, who has to walk or drivespecially to a collection station in order to actually receive theparcels which are delivered to him.

In particular for reasons of convenience for the user it is desirablealso to provide delivery possibilities in a substantially moredecentralized fashion, for example in each case separately for aspecific recipient. In this context, it is known from DE 20 2012 012 010U1 to provide devices for accommodating shipments of all types, whichdevices are constructed from a combination of at least one lettermailbox with an insertion slot which is accessible from the outside, atleast one lockable letter mailbox door for removing the letters and atleast one parcel compartment with a lockable parcel compartment door.However, here the door of the parcel compartment and the door of theletter mailbox are provided with separate locks, which entails thedisadvantage that at least the owner of the device has to keep twodifferent key systems available for the access to the parcel compartmentand letter compartment.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is therefore, inter alia, to providea locking unit for a housing, in particular a parcel mailbox, thehousing itself and a method for unlocking one or more doors of thehousing, wherein safe storage of delivered parcels and parcels which areto be collected is made possible without the letter compartment alsonecessarily having to be opened when the delivery agent deposits parcelsin the parcel compartment or collects them from said compartment. Thesystem should preferably be of modular design, in order to be able topermit compatible and favorable composition of the housing, inparticular with the parcel mailbox, according to individual customerrequirements. This object is achieved with the features of claims 1, 12and 16.

A locking unit is provided for this purpose which respectively has, in amanner known per se, for each door a locking element module with atleast one locking body, in particular in the form of a closing hook, anda locking drive for actuating the locking body or bodies. In thiscontext, a door is, for example, assigned in each case to a housingopening, for example to a storage compartment, in each case, and are,for example, movable into a position in which it closes the respectivehousing opening.

In order to achieve simple handling, the invention proposes that thelocking drive for the, in particular two, locking element modules (orelse for each locking element module of the housing) has a common driveelement which is movable by an adjustment distance, and in a firstadjustment position moves the locking body or bodies for merely one ofthe doors or merely a first group of doors of the doors into anunlocking position, and in a second adjustment position moves thelocking bodies for all of the doors into an unlocking position.

When there are more than two doors, therefore, for example, a firstgroup of doors of the doors and a second group of doors of the doors areprovided, wherein the first group of doors can be unlocked together butseparately from the second group of doors, and wherein the second groupof doors can only be unlocked together with the first group of doors. Inother words, therefore either the first group of doors or all the doorsof the first and second group of doors can be unlocked, which in theevent of the housing having only the first group of doors and the secondgroup of doors as doors means that all the doors of the housing areunlocked.

However, it is also conceivable for one or more doors of the housing notto be assigned to the locking unit in accordance with the invention.Then, for example, only the locking drives of the locking elementmodules of two doors of the housing have a common drive element, withthe result that either one of the two doors (first adjustment position)or both doors is/are movable together (second adjustment position) intoan unlocking position, while one or more further doors of the housing(for example with respective locking element modules or even withoutthem) can be locked and/or unlocked independently of the drive element,for example by means of a separate mechanical or electronic lock.

According to one preferred embodiment, precisely two doors are providedin the housing and precisely two locking element modules arerespectively provided in the locking unit. In this embodiment, the firstdoor can therefore be opened separately from the first storagecompartment or generally the first housing opening. If the second dooris also to be opened, it is necessary to open both doors simultaneously.

The first door is therefore suitable for a housing opening which closesa storage compartment for parcels. A delivery agent can place a parcelin this compartment and/or collect a parcel which has been depositedthere, by moving the common drive element into a first adjustmentposition in which only the first door to the parcel compartment opens.For the user of the parcel mailbox (for example the owner thereof) whowould like to collect the delivered letters and parcels, the commondrive element is moved, preferably through further movement, into thesecond adjustment position in which both the first door and the seconddoor open, with the result that the user can remove both letters andparcels from the parcel mailbox. In contrast, the parcel delivery agentis not provided with access to the letter compartment.

In the course of this preferred embodiment, reference is made, whereappropriate, only to the first or second door. Correspondingly, firstand second components of the locking unit respectively refer to thefirst and the second door. However, insofar as more than two doors arepresent, these first and second components may also refer to the groupof a plurality of first and second doors or locking element modules.

According to one particularly preferred embodiment of the locking unitwhich is proposed according to the invention, the common drive elementcan be embodied as a rotatable axle, in particular in the form of a rod.The proposed rotatable axle has first and second rod parts which can bereleasably secured to one another in such a way that first and secondrod parts rotate together. Each, i.e. one or, if appropriate, alsomultiple, locking bodies are non-movably secured to the or to each firstrod part, i.e. are securely fixed to the first rod part. In contrast,each locking body is mounted on the or on each second rod part so as tobe rotatable itself about the rotatable axle with a defined amount ofplay. This means that the locking body is mounted so as to be rotatablenot only with respect to a bolt element of the door, which is to beunlocked, but also with respect to the rotatable axle.

Each rod part of the first and second rod parts therefore essentiallyforms the locking drive of a locking element module for precisely onedoor. In other words, in each case a rod part is assigned to a lockingelement module for a door. The closing and opening functions of thelocking element module are therefore determined according to whether therod part is a first or a second rod part.

A locking body which is rotatably mounted on the second rod part is alsomoved along only when the play in the adjustment distance of the driveelement is exceeded. Only then does the other/second storage compartmentopen. As a result, when the rotatable axle rotates, opening of the firststorage compartment is therefore firstly brought about, and when therotatable axle rotates further, opening of the second storagecompartment is additionally brought about. If appropriate, multiplefirst and/or second rod parts, which can be respectively releasablysecured to one another, can be of modular design, wherein each rod partis preferably assigned to precisely one door. As a result, a relativelysimple modular design of the locking unit is achieved, which designpermits easy adaptation to customer requests and can be adapted tovarious parcel mailboxes or other housings which are, where appropriate,of modular design themselves.

If appropriate, a housing opening can also be of such a size that it isclosed by a plurality of doors. Alternatively, it is also possible toprovide that more than two housing openings are provided, wherein eachhousing opening is closed by means of doors which are respectivelyassociated with the first or the second group of doors.

From these various conceivable embodiments it can be inferred thatalthough the use of the locking unit proposed according to the inventioncan be particularly preferably effected in conjunction with a parcelmailbox, it is not restricted to this application but can instead beused generally in housings which have openings which can be closed withdoors and which are to be opened in steps—depending on their associationwith a first or second group of doors.

In order to simplify the handling, it is possible to provide accordingto the invention that at least one of the locking element modules isembodied as a snap-action closure. This can preferably apply to all,but, if appropriate, also only to some, of the locking element modules.The snap-action closure is to be understood as being a latch-like meansof locking a door, which locks the door automatically when it closes.

This preferably means that the locking bodies of the locking elementmodules are prestressed in the closing direction and are forcibly movedout of the closing position during the movement of an opened door intothe closed position, by a bolt element which is present on the door andwith which the locking body interacts in order to lock the door, so thatafter the door has been moved into the closed position said lockingbodies engage around the bolt element (snap it in) and lock the door inthe closed position.

If a door which is locked by a locking element module to a first rodpart and to which the locking body is fixedly, i.e. non-movably,secured, is opened, the rotatable axle which is embodied as a commondrive element also rotates when the locking body is deflected during theclosing of the door by means of a snap-action closure.

In order to avoid the locking body or closing hook snapping in againbefore the door is opened after an unlocking movement, according to onepreferred embodiment of the invention there can be provision that atleast one locking element module (but likewise also a plurality or all)of the locking element modules has at least one ejection ram,prestressed in the opening direction, for automatically opening the doorwhen the door is unlocked. Therefore, as soon as the locking bodyreleases the bolt element of the door, the door is automatically openedby the ejection ram which is driven by the prestress. In contrast,closing the door requires force to be applied inter alia against theprestress of the ejection ram.

The provision of such an ejection ram according to the invention alsohas the advantage that when the door is not locked during a desiredclosing process the door opens again immediately if the locking bodydoes not reliably hold the bolt element of the door. This is perceivedimmediately by the person closing the door, with the result that thedoor can once again be pushed to with increased force by this person.This largely avoids incorrect operations.

According to one preferred embodiment of the invention, the locking bodywhich is rotatably mounted on the second rod part can have a bearingsleeve with a cutout, which bearing sleeve is movably guided on therotatable axle, wherein a pin which protrudes radially from the axle(rotatable axle) of the common drive element engages in the cutout inthe bearing sleeve and as a result defines the play with respect to therotation of the bearing sleeve on the axle. The section of the commondrive element which is described here can therefore be formed, inparticular, by the second rod part.

The bearing sleeve preferably has two cutouts at the opposite axial endsof the bearing sleeve, in each of which a pin engages which protrudesradially from the axle. This causes the bearing sleeve to be axiallysecured by the pins which engage in the cutouts, and at the same timethe play with respect to the rotation of the bearing sleeves on the axleis predetermined by the cutouts in which the pins are accommodated. Inaddition, on one side, in each case two cutouts can be embodied in thelongitudinal direction of the radially protruding pin, at an axial edgeof the bearing sleeve, as it were on the front side and the rear side ofthe axle, which sides are defined by the passage of the radiallyprotruding pin.

In this context there can preferably be provision for the pin whichprotrudes radially from the axle to be accommodated in the lockingposition of the locking body, fixedly secured on the bearing sleeve, ina central region of the cutout which defines the play for the rotationof the bearing sleeve on the axle.

In order to open the door, the locking body which is secured to thesleeve must therefore be disengaged from the bolt element of the door byrotating by means of the common drive element (rotatable axle or thesecond rod part thereof). If the rod which forms the drive element(rotatable axle) is rotated, the pin firstly moves in the cutout in thebearing sleeve without the bearing sleeve and the locking body alsorotating. The door which is locked by the second rod part remains lockedfor as long as this occurs. During this play in the second rod part, alocking body which is secured in a non-movable fashion at the first rodpart of the rotatable axle already rotates, with the result that thislocking body disengages from the bolt element of the first door, whichis therefore unlocked without the door which is unlocked by the lockingelement module described above with the second rod part also beingunlocked.

If the pin impacts against the edge of the cutout in the bearing sleeveof the second rod part, i.e. the play which is provided by the cutout isused up, the bearing sleeve also rotates with the further rotation ofthe rotatable axle, with the result that the locking body which isfixedly connected to the bearing sleeve is also disengaged from the boltelement of the door and as a result this second door is also unlocked.

With the present invention it is therefore easily possible to unlock, bymeans of only one drive with a common drive element, first and secondgroups of doors which close housing openings in such a way that when thedrive element is actuated for a specific movement distance, i.e. into afirst adjustment position, only one group of doors, which can also bereferred to as a first group, opens, and when there is a continuingmovement of the drive element into a second adjustment position theother group of doors, here also referred to as a second group of doors,also additionally opens.

Such a locking unit is particularly well suited for a parcel mailbox foraccommodating letters and parcels which are to be delivered, with ahousing with precisely one first housing opening into a first storagecompartment for parcels and with precisely one second housing openinginto a second storage compartment for letters, wherein the two storagecompartments can be locked by means of one door each. The door of thesecond storage compartment has a slot for inserting letters withoutopening the door of the second storage compartment, with a result thatthe postal worker can deliver letters in the known fashion simply byinserting them into the second storage compartment. This second storagecompartment therefore constitutes a conventional letter mailbox.

If, in contrast, a parcel or small packet is to be delivered, thedelivery agent can move the drive element, for example by inputting ortransmitting a suitable code or some other type of authentication, tojust such an extent that the door is opened for the storage compartmentfor parcels. He then puts the parcel into the housing and, after puttingthe parcel into the housing, presses the door of the storage compartmentto again, and said door locks again owing to the snap-action closure.

The user (for example the owner) of the parcel mailbox opens the doorsof both the first and the second storage compartments, for example byinputting or transmitting a suitable code or some other kind ofauthentication, in that the drive element is moved so far or for so longthat both doors open. After the removal of parcels from the firststorage compartment and/or letters from the second storage compartment,the user can also easily close and lock both doors again by pressingthem to, since both doors are locked by corresponding snap-actionclosures.

In this context, the locking body is pressed in the opening direction bythe locking element of the doors. For this purpose, the play which hasalready been described in the bearing sleeve is also provided in theother direction in the receptacle, with the result that the pin whichprotrudes radially from the rotatable axle (common drive element) can bedeflected in the cutout. For the rotatable axle itself, which is alsorotated when a first door is pressed back by the locking body which isfixedly connected to the rotatable axle, a corresponding play isprovided, for example in the coupling to a drive.

According to the invention, according to one preferred embodiment of thepresent invention the common drive element, that is to say, inparticular, the rotatable axle, can be connected to a drive which canpreferably be actuated electrically via a coupling with or without atransmission. The drive preferably has an electric motor with acorresponding controller.

The controller or a processor can contain authorization checking meanswhich evaluate authorization information received, for example, by meansof radio technology (or information generated by using authorizationinformation), in order to check for the presence of authorization forunlocking one or more doors. As a result, destruction-free externalaccess is largely ruled out. The access to the parcel mailbox can takeplace, for example, by means of Near-Field-Communication (NFC) or RadioFrequency Identification (RFID) radio technology. This approach isintended to perform wireless communication between a parcel mailbox anda person-identification means (for example a token or tag on which theauthorization information, for example a code or electronic key, isstored). This is done, for example, by means of access electronics inwhich a delivery agent merely has to use an RFID or NFC tag or anRFID/NFC-enabled hand-held scanner (that is to say a portable device foroptically capturing barcodes) with the authorization information, and heis therefore relieved of the need to carry a separate bunch of keys withphysical keys or the like. In addition, the customer, that is to say theowner of the mailbox, is provided at any time with access to his parcelmailbox and therefore to his parcel or to the letters at his front door.This access can be realized by means of an RFID or NFC tag (for exampleas a key fob clip) or an application (App) which can be implemented, forexample, on a cell phone.

Even if the electronic authentication which is based on radiotechnology, as described above, may be preferred according to theinvention, a drive according to the invention can also take placemechanically, for example by means of a physical key for releasingrotational elements which are under prestress. The prestress ofrotational elements can be built up once more, for example, whenever thedoors close.

If a locking element module is embodied with a first rod part as asnap-action closure, the common drive element also rotates, as alreadymentioned, when the door closes counter to the prestressing direction.In this case, a corresponding play counter to the opening movement ofthe common drive element is to be provided in the coupling elementbetween the common drive element and the drive. This can be achieved ina corresponding way by a person skilled in the art, for example asdescribed above for the locking body, mounted with defined play on theby the rotatable axle (common drive element), in the case of the secondrod part.

In order to be able to bring about locking of the door in a simple way,after the movement for opening the doors, for example by means of thedrive or a mechanical restoring mechanism, the common drive element ismovable back into the home position which corresponds to the lockingposition of the locking bodies and in which the snap-action closure canact easily. Sensors for detecting the movement position of the driveelement, i.e. the rotatable axle, can be provided, for example, by meansof a change in magnetic field in the coupling of the drive element tothe drive. The detection of position can then be performed by means of amagnet with a suitable magnetic field sensor, for example a Hall sensor.

According to the invention, one or more locking bodies can be arrangedon a rod part in an axial direction in a mirror-symmetrical fashion withrespect to the horizontal central axis of the rod part. That is to say,the locking bodies on both halves of the rod part are arrangedsymmetrically with respect to the center of the rod part. When there isonly one locking body or an uneven number of locking bodies, a lockingbody is respectively provided in the center of the rod part. An evennumber, or the, if appropriate, remaining even number of locking bodiesafter a locking body has been mounted in the center, is thenrespectively distributed symmetrically about the center by means of therotatable axle. As a result it is ensured that each rod part can, bymeans of rotation through 180°, be used, as it were, for movement of thedoors to a right-hand stop or left-hand stop, because the locking bodiesinteract with the bolt elements of the doors into every possiblemounting position of the rod parts in which they are rotated through180°.

In addition, with respect to a simple modular design of the locking bodyaccording to the invention, couplings with coupling pieces can beprovided on the first and second rod parts, in each case at the ends,which coupling pieces are constructed symmetrically about the horizontalcentral axis of the rod part and bring about coupling of the various rodparts in such a way that the rotatable rod which is formed by thevarious rod parts serves as a common drive element. This also permitssimple right-hand or left-hand exchangeability in the case of modularcoupling of the first and second rod parts.

Particularly simple mounting can be achieved if a mounting carrier, forexample in the form of a mounting plate, is provided, on which thelocking element modules can be mounted rotated through 180° in each casewith respect to the axial direction of the common drive element. In thiscase, all the parts of the locking unit can be used with identicaldesigns for movement of the doors to a right-hand stop or left-handstop.

The proposed mechanical solution of the locking unit is thereforedistinguished, in particular, by the fact that it requires only onedrive which actuates a common locking linkage (rotatable axle) for allthe doors and nevertheless permits only certain doors (of the firstgroup) to be locked, while other doors (of the second group) stillremain closed. Furthermore, all the doors can be closed or lockedindependently of one another and in a desired sequence, since in thisrespect only snap-action closures are provided without the common driveelement having to be controlled and rotated selectively for thispurpose. In addition, all elements of the locking unit can be embodiedin such a way that they provide simple right-hand-left-handexchangeability of the doors in the housing for closing off the housingopenings.

The object of the present invention is also achieved by means of ahousing having at least two doors for locking respective housingopenings, in particular leading to storage compartments, wherein thehousing comprises a locking unit according to the invention. Theexemplary embodiments of the locking unit according to the invention,their individual features and their advantages as described above aretherefore also be understood as being disclosed for the housingaccording to the invention.

An exemplary embodiment of the housing according to the inventioncomprises authorization checking means for checking the respectiveauthorization of persons (for example of one or more delivery agents oran owner of the housing) to unlock one or more of the doors of thehousing, on the basis of authorization information which is respectivelyused by the persons when providing proof of authorization, and controlmeans for controlling a drive assigned to the common drive elementdepending on the result of the check of the authorization checkingmeans, with the result that the common drive element assumes the firstadjustment position if first authorization information was used whenproviding proof of authorization, and assumes the second adjustmentposition if second authorization information was used when providingproof of authorization.

The authorization checking means can be formed, for example, by means ofa processor, for example by means of a microprocessor, a DSP (DigitalSignal Processor) or a FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), to givejust a couple of non-restrictive examples. The authorization checkingmeans can be stored, for example, as computer program instructions in amemory of the processor and executed by the processor when the computerprogram runs with these instructions on the processor.

The authorization information can comprise, or consist of, for example,a code (for example a numerical code, letter code or combinednumerical/letter code, for example an identifier of an electronicappliance such as, for example, a tag) or an electronic key (for examplea symmetrical key or a public or private key of an asymmetrical pair ofkeys, in particular of a public key infrastructure (PKI)—pair of keys).Asymmetrical keys can be generated, for example, according to the RSA(Rivest, Shamir, Adleman) method. An example of a symmetrical key is anAES (Advanced Encryption Standard) key. The authorization informationcan additionally or alternatively comprise encrypted information orconsist thereof. For example, the authorization information cancomprise, or consist, of an identifier, encrypted with a key, of thehousing, the unlocking of which is authorized by the authorizationinformation. The housing then has, for example, the same key or acorresponding key (or can generate said key) for decrypting theencrypted identifier which is used for proving authorization withrespect to the housing, and said housing can then check whether thedecrypted identifier corresponds to the identifier of the housing (whichis stored, for example, in the housing), and therefore the authorizationfor unlocking one or more doors of the housing is present. The key canbe used here, for example, only during the generation (for example byencryption of information, for example of a housing identifier) of anentity of authorization information, but not during the generation offurther entities of authorization information for the same housing orfurther entities of authorization information at all. If theauthorization information is stored, for example, on a portableelectronic appliance (for example an RFID or NFC tag, a cell phone or ahand-held scanner), another key can be used, for example, to generatethe authorization information for each of the electronic appliances.This key can depend, for example, on an identifier of the respectiveelectronic appliance, that is to say, for example, can be selected orgenerated using the said identifier, for example by means of apredefined (but secret) algorithm. A housing can then select or generatethis key (in the case of symmetrical encryption) or a corresponding key(for example in the case of asymmetrical encryption) on the basis of theidentifier of the electronic appliance (which is transmitted, forexample, together with the authorization information to the housing, orseparately therefrom). As a result it is advantageously ensured that theauthorization information cannot be falsified or used as a simple copytogether with another electronic appliance. Alternatively, in order togenerate the authorization information for each of the electronicappliances or at least one group of two or more electronic appliances itis possible to use the same key, therefore then only this key or acorresponding key must also be used in the housing (and, for example,stored).

The respective authorization information can be assigned to at least oneof the persons (or even all of them) at least temporarily, in particularfor the time at which authorization is proven. The authorizationinformation can be assigned to a person, for example, by virtue of thefact that the person has or controls a data carrier with theauthorization information stored or represented thereon, at least at thetime at which authorization is proven (or even continuously), or thatthe authorization information is stored in an electronic appliancebelonging to the person, at least at the time when the authorization isproven. The data carrier may be, for example, a memory of an RFID or NFCtag, a smartcard or a label with a barcode printed on it (for example ona consignment), to give just a couple of examples. The electronicappliance may be, for example, a cell phone or a hand-held scanner of adelivery agent. The authorization information can also be assigned tothe person, for example, by virtue of the fact that the authorizationinformation was communicated to the person, for example by sending amessage which contains the authorization information.

The authorization information can be used, for example, when proving theauthorization by virtue of the fact that the person inputs theauthorization information, or information which was generated using theauthorization information, into an input unit (for example a keypad or abarcode scanner) of the housing or transmits it (in an encrypted ornon-encrypted form) to a reception unit (for example an RFID or NFCreading unit) of the housing. Non-exhaustive examples of an input unitare a keypad, acoustic capture means (for example voice detection means)or optical capture means (for example a scanner, in particular a barcodescanner, wherein the authorization information or the informationgenerated therewith is then represented in a barcode). Non-exhaustiveexamples of a reception means are receivers for wireless informationtransmission technologies such as, for example, RFID receivers,smartcard receivers, NFC receivers, Bluetooth receivers, WLAN receiversand/or cell phone receivers. The reception means may be, for example,part of combined transmission and reception means, for example that isto say part of communication means. At the input unit, the authorizationinformation, or the information which was generated using theauthorization information, can be input, for example, by typing it intoa keypad, by speaking it into the acoustic capture means or by holdingit in front of the optical capture means. At the reception means, theauthorization information means, or the information which was generatedusing the authorization information, can, for example by actuating anaction element (for example a pushbutton key or a switch or menu entryor a button which is represented on a graphic display unit of anelectronic appliance) of a device (for example of a cell phone,hand-held scanner or hand-held transmitter) or by moving a device (forexample a RFID or NFC tag or an RFID or NFC-enabled electronic appliancesuch as, for example, a cell phone or hand-held scanner) which storesthe authorization information, to the reception means, for example intoa predefined range of the reception means.

The RFID or NFC tags can be tags (for example portable elements withsmall dimensions in the range of, for example, a few centimeters (forexample less than 5 cm) diameter or an edge length such as for example,a key fob or cards in the credit card format) with their own powersupply or tags without a power supply of their own. The tags canoperate, for example, at 120-135 kHz, 13.56 MHz or 865-869 MHz, butother, in particular higher frequencies, are also possible. Thetransmission of information can be based, for example, on capacitivecoupling, inductive coupling or on electromagnetic waves (for examplebackscatter methods). The RFID or NFC tag can comprise, for example, anantenna, an analog circuit for transmitting and receiving (also referredto as a transceiver), a digital circuit (for example a microcontroller)and a memory (for example an EEPROM—Electrically Erasable ProgrammableRead-Only Memory). The authorization information is stored in thememory, for example in the form of a number or identifier (UID—UniqueIdentification) which can be unique, for example, for the respectivetag. The authorization information can be modulated, for example in theform of a load modulation, for example onto a high-frequency signalwhich is generated by an RFID or NFC reading unit. The reading unit canthen as a result receive the authorization information from the tag.RFID or NFC tags are specified, for example, according to the ISOstandards 18000, 11784/11785 and the ISO/IEC standard 14443 and 15693,to give just a pair of non-restrictive examples.

The checking of the authorization can be performed, for example, in thatthe authorization checking means compare the authorization informationused to prove the authorization with authorization information which isstored in a memory of the housing and, for example in the case ofcorrespondence or a predefined correspondence of the authorizationinformation which is used and the authorization information which isstored, come to the result that authorization is present. The checkingof the authorization can alternatively also be performed by virtue ofthe fact that the authorization checking means process the authorizationinformation used to prove the authorization, and compare a result of theprocessing with information which is stored in a memory of the housing,and in the case of correspondence or predefined correspondence come tothe result that an authorization is present. The processing can, forexample, comprise, or consist of, decryption, for example if theauthorization information comprises, or consists of, encryptedinformation (for example an encrypted identifier of the housing) whichis compared, after decryption, with information stored in the housing(for example the identifier of the housing). The checking of theauthorization can also be performed, for example, in that theauthorization checking means checks information which was generatedusing authorization information and was used by the person to prove theauthorization, said checking being carried out using correspondingauthorization information which is stored in a memory of the housing.This can be performed, for example, within the scope of achallenge-response method, during which a data sequence, for example arandom data sequence, is transmitted to the person, the person appliesauthorization information (for example a first key for encrypting thedata sequence) to the data sequence in order to prove theirauthorization, and transmits the result to the authorization checkingmeans (for example by inputting it into an input unit of the housing ortransmitting it to a reception unit of the housing), and theauthorization checking means then apply the corresponding authorizationinformation (for example a second key for decrypting the transmittedresult) to the transmitted result, compare the result obtained in thisway with the data sequence which was originally transmitted to theperson, and in the case of the correspondence come to the result thatauthorization is present. An advantage of this method is that theauthorization information does not have to be transmitted in plain texthere. The first and second keys may, for example, each be identical here(as so-called symmetrical keys). Alternatively, the first and secondkeys can form an asymmetrical pair of keys of a PKI, wherein, forexample, the first key is a public key and the second key is a privatekey.

The control means of the housing according to the invention canconstitute, for example, a drive controller which receives controlsignals from the authorization checking means (depending on the resultof the authorization checking, that is to say, for example, whetherfirst or second authorization information was used for provingauthorization) and controls the drive (for example a motor) according tothese control signals. The control means can be formed together with theauthorization checking means by a processor. Alternatively, the controlmeans can be constructed separately from the authorization checkingmeans, for example as a driver stage for the drive.

In one exemplary embodiment of the housing according to the invention,the first authorization information is used by a delivery agent or agroup of delivery agents and authorizes said agent/agents to unlockmerely one of the doors or merely the first group of doors of the doorsin order to permit said agent/agents to place at least one shipment inthe respective housing opening or openings and/or to collect one or moreshipments, in particular parcels, from the respective housing opening oropenings, and the second authorization information authorizes at leastone person assigned to the housing to unlock all of the doors, in orderto permit said person to remove one or more delivered shipments, inparticular parcels, from the housing opening or openings which is/areassigned to the door (6) or to the first group of doors, or to place oneor more shipments which are to be collected, in particular parcels, inthe housing opening which is/are assigned to the door or to the firstgroup of doors, and to remove one or more delivered shipments, inparticular letters, from the housing opening or openings which is/areassigned to the remaining door or doors of the doors.

The person to whom the housing is assigned is neither the deliveryagent, nor does he belong to the group of delivery agents, here. Theperson may be, for example, someone who, for example as a customer, ismaking use of services provided by the delivery agent or the group ofdelivery agents (in which case the services are provided, for example,at least using the housing). This may be a case here of parcel services,for example. The person to whom the housing is assigned may be, forexample, the owner or tenant of the housing.

For example, the delivery agent or the group of delivery agents can usethe first authorization information to prove authorization, at least atthe time when the authorization is proven. For example, the deliveryagent (or the group of delivery agents) has at least at the time whenproof is provided, a data carrier (for example an RFID or NFC tag or ahand-held scanner) in which the first authorization information isstored, or knows the first authorization information or has aconsignment on which a label with a representation of the authorizationinformation (for example in the form of a barcode or a transponderlabel) is applied.

Likewise, for example the person who is assigned to the housing (who isneither the delivery agent nor belongs to the group of delivery agents)can use the second authorization information to prove authorization, atleast at the time when authorization is proven. For example, this personhas, at least at the time when proof is provided, a data carrier (forexample an RFID or NFC tag or a cell phone) in which the secondauthorization information is stored, or knows the authorizationinformation.

In one exemplary embodiment of the housing according to the invention,the authorization checking means are configured to prevent the door orthe first group of doors of the doors of the housing from being unlockedtwice in direct succession with respective use of the firstauthorization information.

It may then be necessary, for example, for the second authorizationinformation to be used for unlocking after each time the firstauthorization information is used for unlocking. This may serve toprevent, for example, a delivery agent who, for example, uses the firstauthorization information from being able to unlock the door (forexample the parcel door) of the housing repeatedly, or a second deliveryagent who uses, for example, the first authorization information frombeing able to unlock the door (for example the parcel door) of thehousing after a first delivery agent who, for example, also uses thefirst authorization information has unlocked the door of the housing andplaced a parcel in it, before the owner of the housing who uses, forexample, the second authorization information, has removed the parcelwhich was placed in the housing. For this purpose, the authorizationchecking means can keep, for example, a logbook covering theauthorization proving operations which have taken place and theauthorization information which was used in these operations and, whenauthorization is proven again with the first authorization information,check whether the last provision of proof of authorization already tookplace with the first authorization information. If this is the case, forexample the control of the control means can fail to occur (with theresult that the common drive element is not moved) and instead a visualor acoustic warning can be issued.

The object according to the invention is also achieved by means of amethod for unlocking one or more doors of a housing according to theinvention which comprises the authorization checking means describedabove and the control means. The method comprises proving, with respectto the authorization checking means of the housing, the authorization ofa person to unlock one or more doors of the housing by using the firstor second authorization information. The method, in particular theprovision of proof, can be performed, for example, by the person, forexample in that the person interacts with the housing or uses a device(for example an RFID or NFC tag, a hand-held scanner or a cell phone) tointeract with the housing. The exemplary embodiments of the locking unitaccording to the invention as described above and of the housingaccording to the invention, the individual features and advantagesrelating thereto are therefore also to be understood as being disclosedfor the method according to the invention.

According to one exemplary embodiment of the method according to theinvention, proving the authorization comprises the following:

-   -   inputting the first or second authorization information, or        information which was generated using the first or second        authorization information, into an input unit of the housing (3)        (which is, for example, operatively connected to the        authorization checking means, with the result that the        authorization information, or the information, can be passed        onto the authorization checking means), or    -   transmitting, in particular in a wireless fashion, the first or        second authorization information, or information which was        generated using the first or second authorization information,        to a reception unit of the housing (3) (which are, for example,        operatively connected to the authorization checking means, with        the result that the authorization information, or the        information, can be passed onto the authorization checking        means).

An explanation of how this inputting or transmission can take place hasalready been given above on the basis of examples. The inputting ortransmitting can be performed, for example, by the person himself or beat least initiated by the person, for example by operating/handling adevice (for example an RFID or NFC tag, a cell phone or a hand-heldscanner) which stores the authorization information, or, for example, byoperating/handling an object (for example a parcel) which has theauthorization information.

According to one exemplary embodiment of the method according to theinvention, the first authorization information provides authorizationfor respectively unlocking, one or more doors of a plurality of housings(for example parcel mailboxes). These plurality of housings are, forexample, assigned to respective different owners and/or are installed atdifferent locations (for example at different locations in a deliveryarea of the delivery agent). The first authorization information cantherefore provide authorization, for example, to unlock a parcel door ofa first parcel mailbox as well as a parcel door of a second parcelmailbox and, if appropriate, the parcel door of one or more furtherparcel mailboxes, but can, for example, not respectively provideauthorization to unlock letter doors. In particular, according to thisembodiment, the same first authorization information (for example the(precisely) same code or key) is therefore used to unlock the one ormore doors in each of the plurality of housings. This firstauthorization information can nevertheless have limited validity, forexample a temporally limited validity. For example, the validity can belimited to one tag, which can be checked, for example, by means of thedate, if, for example, the first authorization information was producedusing the date or contains this date.

However, in contrast thereto, the second authorization information canprovide authorization merely to unlock the doors of precisely onehousing.

For example, the first authorization information (that is to say, forexample, the same code or key) can then be stored in a plurality ofhousings (for example in the memories thereof). This avoids thesituation in which a delivery agent has to have available respectivefirst authorization information for each housing, which would lead to asituation in which when storing the first authorization information, forexample, in an RFID or NFC tag of the delivery agent, the delivery agentwould have to carry with him a separate RFID or NFC tag, andrespectively locate said tag for every housing in which he is to placeone or more shipments.

The first authorization information, which provides authorization forthe respective unlocking of at least one door of a plurality ofhousings, can, instead of storage on an RFID or NFC tag of a deliveryagent, also be stored in a portable electronic appliance of the deliveryagent, for example a hand-held scanner.

According to one exemplary embodiment of the method according to theinvention, the first authorization information provides authorizationfor respectively unlocking one or more doors (6) of only one housing(3), and the first authorization information is stored, together withfurther first authorization information which provides authorization forrespectively unlocking one or more doors (6) of one or more furtherhousings (3), on a portable electronic device, in particular on an RFIDor NFC tag or on a hand-held scanner. As a result, the delivery agent isrelieved of the need to carry along on his delivery route a separateportable electronic appliance with the respective first authorizationinformation for each housing.

According to one exemplary embodiment of the method according to theinvention, the first authorization information has a temporally limitedvalidity and/or becomes invalid after a predefined number of uses forproving the authorization.

At least the first authorization information can therefore have, forexample, a temporally limited validity, and therefore, for example,after the expiry of a predefined time period (for example calculatedstarting from the outputting or the storage thereof in a data carrier)which can be, for example, several minutes, hours, days, weeks ormonths, or starting from a predefined end of validity time, can nolonger authorize the unlocking of doors of the housing. For a deliveryagent to be able to provide proof again of his authorization to unlockone or more doors of the housing after the expiry of this time period,it is necessary to receive new first authorization information.Correspondingly, the first authorization information (or the informationwhich corresponds thereto and is used during the checking of the firstauthorization information) must then, where appropriate, also be updatedin the housing. This can be done, for example, in that updated firstauthorization information is stored via an interface (for example viathe reception unit of the housing) or newly determined according to apredefined algorithm (for example in a processor of the housing). Thepredefined algorithm corresponds here to the algorithm according towhich the new first authorization information is also determined for thedelivery agent. The algorithm can be, for example, secret. The algorithmcan also integrate, inter alia, for example chronological informationsuch as, for example, a date and/or a time in the first authorizationinformation or use it during the determination of the firstauthorization information. Additionally or alternatively, the firstauthorization information can also become invalid after a predefinednumber of uses for proving the authorization, for example after a singleuse or after ten or twenty uses, to give just a couple of examples.Then, for the delivery agent it may also be necessary to obtain newfirst authorization information, and it may also be necessary for thefirst authorization information or the information which correspondsthereto and is used during the checking of the first authorizationinformation in the housing to be correspondingly updated.

According to one exemplary embodiment of the method according to theinvention, the first authorization information is used to prove theauthorization.

The method can then also be a method for unlocking one or more doors ofthe housing and for using the housing and can comprise the following:

-   -   placing one or more shipments in the housing opening or openings        which is/are respectively assigned to the one unlocked door or        to the first group of unlocked doors, and/or collecting one or        more shipments, in particular parcels, from the housing opening        or openings which is/are respectively assigned to the one        unlocked door or to the first group of unlocked doors, and    -   closing the unlocked door or the first group of unlocked doors.

The placing/collection and the closing are then performed, for example,by the person, in particular, by a delivery agent or a group of deliveryagents. The person then has, for example, only the first userinformation but not the second user information.

In this context, the unlocked door or the first group of unlocked doorscan be locked automatically by the closing, for example by virtue of theembodiment of the locking element modules as snap-action closures, asalready described above.

According to one exemplary embodiment of the method according to theinvention, the second authorization information is used to prove theauthorization.

The method can then also be a method for unlocking one or more doors ofthe housing and for using the housing and can comprise the following:

-   -   removing one or more delivered shipments, in particular parcels,        from the housing opening or openings (4) which is/are assigned        to the unlocked door (6) or the first group of unlocked doors        (6), or placing one or more shipments which are to be collected,        in particular parcels, in the housing opening (4) which is/are        assigned to the unlocked door (6) or the first group of unlocked        doors (6),    -   removing one or more delivered shipments, in particular letters,        from the housing opening or openings (5) which is/are assigned        to the remaining unlocked door or doors (7), and    -   closing the unlocked doors.

The removal/placing and the closing are then performed, for example, bythe person, in particular by the person assigned to the housing, that isto say, in particular, an owner of the housing. The person then has, forexample, only the second user information but not the first userinformation.

In this context, the unlocked doors can be automatically locked by theclosing, for example by virtue of the embodiment of the locking elementmodules as snap-action closures, as already described above.

The last-mentioned two embodiments of the method according to theinvention are also to be understood as disclosed as a combined method inwhich a person uses the first authorization information to prove theirauthorization and then performs the respective method steps, and afurther person uses the second authorization information to prove theirauthorization and then performs the respective method steps.

The exemplary embodiments described above and exemplary refinements ofthe present invention are also to be disclosed in all combinations withone another.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

Further advantageous exemplary refinements of the invention can be foundin the following detailed description of a number of exemplaryembodiments of the present invention, in particular in conjunction withthe figures. However, the figures which are appended to the applicationare only to serve the purpose of clarification but not to determine thescope of protection of the invention. The appended drawings are notnecessarily true to scale and are intended merely to reflect by way ofexample the general concept of the present invention. In particular,features which are contained in the figures are not in any way to beconsidered as a necessary component of the present invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 shows a view of an exemplary embodiment of a parcel mailboxaccording to the invention with an exemplary embodiment of the lockingunit proposed according to the invention, in a partial sectionalillustration;

FIG. 2 shows a three-dimensional view of a locking element module forthe first door of the parcel mailbox according to FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a sectional drawing through the locking element moduleaccording to FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 shows a three-dimensional view of a locking element module forthe second door of the parcel mailbox according to FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 shows a side view of the locking element module according to FIG.4;

FIG. 6 shows a sectional drawing through the locking element moduleaccording to FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 shows an exploded illustration of the locking element modulesaccording to FIG. 2 and FIG. 4 before being mounted;

FIG. 8 shows a mounting carrier for mounting the connecting elementmodules;

FIG. 9 shows locking element modules according to FIGS. 2 and 4, mountedon the mounting carrier according to FIG. 8, in a three-dimensionalview;

FIG. 10 shows a block circuit diagram of the electronic components of anexemplary embodiment of a parcel mailbox according to the invention;

FIG. 11 shows a flowchart of an exemplary method for controlling theunlocking of one or more doors of a parcel mailbox according to theinvention;

FIG. 12 shows a flowchart of an exemplary embodiment of the methodaccording to the invention for locking one or more doors of the parcelmailbox according to the invention, performed by a delivery agent; and

FIG. 13 shows a flowchart of a further exemplary embodiment of themethod according to the invention for unlocking one or more doors of theparcel mailbox according to the invention, performed by an owner of theparcel mailbox.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

On the basis of the drawing, the locking unit 1 according to theinvention will be described below with reference to a particularlypreferred use in a parcel mailbox 2 for accommodating letters andparcels to be delivered, having a housing 3 with a first housing opening4 in a first storage compartment for parcels and having a second housingopening 5 in a second storage compartment for letters.

However, it is to be noted that the parcel mailbox 2 which according tothe invention is provided with the proposed locking unit 1 is aparticularly preferred embodiment of the present invention. However, theinvention is not limited to the use in parcel mailboxes but ratherrelates generally to housings 3, in particular receptacles for objects,having at least two housing openings 4, 5 which can be locked by meansof a first or second door 6, 7, respectively. However, it is alsopossible to provide more housing openings 4, 5 as well as first andsecond doors 6, 7, wherein the doors 6, 7 are then associated with afirst group of doors 6 and a second group of doors 7. In this context,not all the doors which are present at the parcel mailbox or housinghave to be assigned to the locking unit 1 according to the invention;one or more doors can also be locked and unlocked by separate lockingunits. In order to implement the teaching according to the invention itis sufficient if merely two doors are assigned to the locking unit 1according to the invention.

In the parcel mailbox 2 described according to the preferred embodiment,the second door 7 has a slot 8 for inserting letters without opening thesecond door 7 of the second storage compartment. The slot can beprovided, for example, with a flap (not illustrated) which opens outwardor inward and is not closed. Both doors 6, 7 can be locked by means ofthe locking unit 1 according to the invention.

The locking unit 1 has, in each case, a locking element module 9, 10with at least one locking body 11, embodied as a closing hook in theillustrated example, for each door 6, 7, and having a locking drive 12for actuating the at least one locking body 11 or the plurality oflocking bodies 11.

In the illustrated exemplary embodiments, the locking element module 9for the first door 6 has two locking bodies 11, and the locking elementmodule 10 for the second door 7 has merely one locking body 11. It is,of course, equally satisfactory for the locking element module for thefirst door 6 also to have more than one locking body 11. The lockingdrive 12 for each of the two locking element modules 9, 10 has a commondrive element 13 which is embodied as a rotatable axle in the form of arod. The rod 13 as common drive element is embodied so as to be movable(rotatable) by an adjustment distance.

In a first adjustment position, the rod 13 merely moves the locking body11 for the first door 6 into an unlocking position. In this secondadjustment position, which is reached by continuing to rotate the rod 13as a common drive element, the locking bodies 11 for all the doors 6, 7are moved into an unlocking position. For the common drive element 13 ofthe locking drives 12 of the respective locking element modules 9, 10 anelectromotive drive 14 is provided which is coupled with an operativeconnection to the common drive element 13 (rod) by means of a coupling15 in such a way that the electromotive drive 14 can move the rod 13(rotatable axle as a common drive element) between the variousadjustment positions.

The design of the locking unit according to the invention will bedescribed in more detail below with reference to FIGS. 2 to 9 and usingthe example of the parcel mailbox 2 with two doors 6, 7. The describedand/or illustrated features can also be transferred, as is readilyapparent to the person skilled in the art, to other housings 3 with, ifappropriate, more than two housing openings 4, 5 by combining orcoupling a correspondingly larger number of the individual lockingelement modules 9, 10 to one another.

The locking element module 9 which is illustrated in FIG. 2 for thefirst door 6 has, as a locking drive 12, a first rod part 16 which isconnected to a second rod part 17 of the locking element module 10 whichis illustrated in FIG. 4, in order to form the common drive element 13of the locking unit 1.

Two locking bodies 11 which are embodied as closing hooks are arrangedon the first rod part 16 in that these locking bodies 11 (closing hooks)are secured to the first rod part 16 in a non-movable, i.e. fixed,fashion, such that they cannot rotate with respect to the first rod part16. The first rod part 16 therefore forms the locking drive 12 of thefirst locking element module 9 for the first door 6 in that rotating therod part 16 directly causes the closing hook 11 also to be rotated,specifically from the closing position illustrated in FIG. 2 into arelease position in which the closing hook 11 releases a bolt element(not illustrated) of the first door 6, with the result that the door 6can be opened.

In order to automatically open the first door 6 when the closing hook 11releases the bolt element of the first door, guide holders 18 foraccommodating an ejection ram 19, prestressed by means of a compressionspring or the like, are respectively provided above and below theclosing hook in the axial direction. As illustrated in FIG. 2, anejection ram 19 generally suffices to automatically open the door afterrelease of the locking means.

An opening sensor, for example a permanent magnet which interacts with amagnet sensor, may be arranged on the ejection ram 19 in order to detectan open state of the door. This can be used, for example, for a logbookfunction of a controller in the electromotive drive 14, which controllerrecords the opening and closing of the doors 6, 7 of the housing 3 in alogbook. Such a logbook can be retrieved and checked by the user.

From the sectional drawing according to FIG. 3 it is apparent that thelocking bodies 11 which are embodied as closing hooks are connected viaa mounting sleeve 20 to the first rod part 16 of the first lockingelement module 9, with the result that the mounting sleeve 20 and thelocking body 11 cannot be rotated with respect to the axle which isformed by the first rod part 16 (as part of the common drive element13). The forces of rotation of the first rod part 16 are thereforetransmitted directly to the closing hook (locking body 11).

It would therefore also basically be possible to connect the closinghook 11 to the first rod part 16 directly, that is to say withoutproviding a mounting sleeve 20. However, the use of the mounting sleeve20 has the advantage according to the invention that by using themounting sleeve 20 the same locking body 11 can be used for the firstlocking element module 9 and the second locking element module 10, whichshall be described in detail later with respect to FIGS. 4 to 6.

The first locking element module 9 is embodied as a snap-action closure.This means that the locking bodies 11 are prestressed in the closingdirection, that is to say into the closing positions illustrated in FIG.2. For this purpose, a restoring spring 21 is provided on the first rodpart 16, adjacent to the locking body 11, said restoring spring 21 beingsecured by one end to the first rod part 16 and by the other end to alocking element module body 22 which bears the elements of the firstlocking element module 9. If the first rod part 16 is rotated out of theclosing position (illustrated in FIG. 2) of the locking body 11 into anadjustment position in which the locking body 11 releases a bolt element(not illustrated) of the first door 6, the restoring spring 21 isstressed further, with the result that the rod part 16, if it is nolonger held in the release/adjustment position by the electromotivedrive 14, rotates back until the locking body 11 is in the closingposition illustrated in FIG. 2.

If an opened door 6 is then closed, the closing body 11 is pushed out ofthe closing position by the bolt element present on the door 6 in thatthe rod part 16 is rotated counter to the force of the restoring spring21. As soon as the door 6 is in the closed position, the closing hookwhich is embodied as a locking body 11 can engage around the boltelement of the door 6, with the result that the rod part 16 is returnedto the closing position on the basis of the restoring force of therestoring spring 21, and the bolt element of the door 6 engages in thehook opening of the closing hook 11. This is referred to as asnap-action closure.

The second locking element module 10, illustrated in detail in FIGS. 4to 6, for the second door 7 has a second rod part 17 which can becoupled to the first rod part 16 via a coupling 23 (also referred to ascoupling pieces). For this purpose, elements of the coupling 23 areembodied both on the first rod part 16 and on the second rod part 17and, when the two rod parts 16, 17 are connected, said elements engageone in the other in a positively locking fashion and transmit therotational movement of a rod part 16, 17 directly to the other rod part16, 17. In a way which is analogous to the locking element module 9 forthe first door 6, the locking element module 10 for the second door 7also has a locking body 11 which is embodied as a closing hook and whichcan be adjusted by rotating the second rod part 17, between a closingposition (illustrated in FIG. 4) and an unlocking or release position inwhich the closing hook 11 releases a bolt element (not illustrated) ofthe second door 7.

In the unlocked position, the second door 7 is automatically opened byan ejection ram 19, which is provided in a guide holder 18. As also inthe case of the first locking element module 9, two guide holders 18 arelocated in the axial direction on both sides of the locking body 11,wherein an ejection ram 19 has to be provided only in one of the twoguide holders in order to reliably open the second door 7 after it hasbeen unlocked.

In contrast to the first locking element module 9, the locking body 11of the second locking element module 10 is mounted so as to be rotatablewith a defined amount of play about the rotatable axle 13 which isformed by the second rod element 17 in the region of the second lockingelement module 10. This results in a locking body 11 which is rotatablymounted on the second rod part 17 being also moved only if the play inthe adjustment distance of the common drive element 13, or of the secondrod part 17, is exceeded. Only then does the rotational movement of thelocking body 11 begin, said rotational movement disengaging the closinghook (locking body 11) from the bolt element of the second door 7. It istherefore not until then that the second door 7 is opened and thereforethe second housing opening into the storage compartment for letters isreleased.

For the provision of the play, the locking body 11 of the second lockingelement module 10 is mounted on the second rod part 17 so as to rotateby means of a bearing sleeve. For this purpose, the bearing sleeve 24has a cutout 25 which is movably guided on the axle 13 which is formedby the rod part 17 and is also rotatable itself. For this purpose, a pin26 which radially protrudes on the axle 13 engages in the cutout 25 inthe bearing sleeve 24. As a result, the play for rotating the bearingsleeve 24 on the axle 25 is defined, because the pin 26 can rotate inthe cutout 25 until it reaches the edge of the cutout 25, before thebearing sleeve 24 is also rotated during movement of the rod part 17.The closing hook 11 is fixedly connected to the bearing sleeve 24.

As is apparent from the side view of the locking element module 10 forthe second door 7 according to FIG. 5, the bearing sleeve 24 has twocutouts 25 at the opposite axial ends of the bearing sleeve 24, intoeach of which cutouts 25 a pin 26, which protrudes radially from therotatable axle 13 formed by the second rod part 17, engages. This meansthat the bearing sleeve 24 is axially fixed by the two pins 26 whichengage in the cutouts 25, and the play for the rotation of the bearingsleeve 24 about the axle 13 is predetermined by the cutout 25 in whichthe pins 26 are accommodated.

In the closed position which is illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 and inwhich the closing hook 11 is located in the closing position, the pins26 are accommodated in a central region of the cutout 25 which definesthe play for the rotation of the bearing sleeve 24 on the axle.Therefore, two play regions 27, 28 are produced in the cutout 25 foreach rotational direction of the axle 13 or of the second rod part 17.The first play region 27 has the effect that the first rod part 17 canfirstly be rotated in the direction of an opening movement without thelocking body 11 being rotated away from its closing position in which itreleases the bolt element of the second door 7. On the other hand, asalready explained, during the rotational movement of the rotatable axle13 as a common drive element, the locking body of the first rod part 16in the first locking element module 9 is already transferred into alocking position, with the result that the first door 6 already opens.The first play region 27 in the cutout 25 therefore has the effect thatthe second door 7 does not open until after the first door 6.

Therefore, if the rotatable axle 13 is moved as a common drive elementonly into a first adjustment position in which the radially protrudingpin 26 only utilizes the first play region 27 in the cutout 25 withoutabutting against the edge of the cutout 27 and also moving the bearingsleeve 24, only the first door 6 is opened and the second door 7 remainsclosed. By means of a correspondingly controlled rotational movement ofthe rotatable axle 17, it is therefore possible to selectively releaseonly the first door 6 for opening.

Only if the rotatable axle 13 is rotated further into a secondadjustment position does the radially protruding pin 26, bearing againstthe edge of the cutout 25, entrain the bearing sleeve 24, and thereforethe closing hook 11, in order to also unlock the second door 7.

If, on the other hand, the second door 7 is opened and the rotatableaxle 13, or the second rod part 17, is located in the closing positionshown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the closing body 11 is pushed out of the closingposition (illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5) during the pushing back of thedoor into its locked position, in that the bolt element of the doorabuts against the closing body 11. In this context, the bearing sleeve24 is rotated on the rotatable axle 13, or the second rod part 17, untilthe second door 7 is located in its closed position and the closing hook11 can engage around the bolt element of the second door 7. In thisposition, the closing hook 11 snaps back into the closed position,driven by the restoring spring 21, in a way analogous to the previouslydescribed case of the first locking element module 10.

This is why the second play region 28 of the recess 25 is provided, saidplay region 28 permitting a movement of the bearing sleeve 27 (and ofthe closing body 11 which is fixedly connected to the bearing sleeve27), without the common drive 26 also being rotated.

As is apparent from the sectional drawing according to FIG. 6, thebearing sleeve 24 is mounted in a freely movable fashion on the secondrod part 17, apart from the pins 26 which are guided in the cutout 25.

For the coupling 23 of the second rod part 17 to the first rod part 16,the second rod part 17 has an axial bore with a radially extendingcutout into which an axial core (illustrated in FIG. 3) engages with aradially extending pin, with the result that the first and second rodparts 17 can be plugged easily one into the other in the axial directionand directly transmit a rotation to one another. The axial core andaxial bore are also referred to as coupling pieces which interact in asuitable way in order to bring about the coupling 23.

The coupling pieces of the coupling 23 on the first rod part 16 and thesecond rod part 17 are embodied symmetrically over the horizontalcentral axis, with the result that left-hand-right-hand exchangeabilityof the first locking element module 9 and of the second locking elementmodule 10 is provided. As a result, the module can simply be changedfrom a right-hand stop of the door to a left-hand stop of the door, orvisa versa, by a rotation through 180°.

In order to achieve this exchangeability also with respect to theengagement of the locking body 11 on the bolt elements (not illustrated)of the doors 6, 7, there is also provision that the one or more lockingbodies 11 is/are arranged on a rod part 16, 17 in an axial direction ina mirror-symmetrical fashion with respect to the horizontal central axisof the rod part 16, 17. This means that the locking bodies are arrangedsymmetrically with respect to the center of the rod part 16, 17 on bothhalves of the rod part 16, 17. Therefore, after a rotation of thelocking element module 9, 10 through 180°, the locking bodies 11 areeach axially at the same height, with the result that they cancorrespondingly engage on the bolt elements of the doors 6, 7.

FIG. 7 shows an exploded illustration of the locking element module 9for the first door and the locking element module 10 for the second door7, which have previously already been explained in detail with respectto FIGS. 2 and 4, respectively. The locking element modules 9, 10correspondingly have a first rod part 16 and a second rod part 17,respectively, which can be plugged one into the other by means of thecoupling 23 described above, with the result that during the rotation ofa rod part 16, 17 the other rod part 17, 16 also rotates.

FIG. 7 illustrates the two elements just before the plugging-togetheroperation. After the plugging-together operation, the first rod part 16and the second rod part 17 together form the common drive element 13(rotatable axle) which can be connected to the electromotive drive 14via the coupling 15 (cf. FIG. 1). The electromotive drive 14 can alsocontain a controller with an authentication function, which controllerperforms in each case, after authentication has taken place, theadjustment of the rotatable axle 13 as a common drive element, in such away that either only the first door 6 (in particular of the parcelcompartment) or the first door 6 and the second door 7 together (inparticular of the parcel compartment and of the letter mailbox together)is/are opened.

In order to make the snap-action closure effective, there can beprovision according to the invention that after the opening of the doors6 and/or 7, proven, for example, by a corresponding door opening sensorin conjunction with the ejection ram 19 for each door 6, 7, therotatable axle 13 is rotated again by the electromotive drive 14 backinto the closing position in which the locking bodies 11 have thepositions shown in FIGS. 4 and 6.

After the plugging-together operation of the locking element modules 9,10, they can be mounted on the mounting carrier 29 (shown in FIG. 8) inthe form of a mounting plate, wherein for movement of the doors 6, 7 toa right-hand stop or left-hand stop the locking element modules 9, 10can be mounted in any of the two possible positions in which they arerotated through 180°.

FIG. 9 shows the mounting carrier 8 with the locking element modules 9,10 mounted thereon, the first and second rod parts 16, 17 thereof arejoined to the common drive element 13 (rotatable axle).

The proposed locking unit 1 proposes a locking mechanism, which is easyto handle, for a housing 3 with housing openings 4, 5 which can each beclosed and locked by doors 6, 7, wherein a first group of doors 6 can beopened separately in that a common drive element 13 of the locking unit1 is moved into a first adjustment position. When the common driveelement 13 is moved into a second adjustment position, both doors 6, 7are opened together. This application is particularly suitable for aparcel mailbox in which a parcel delivery agent can open and close thefirst door of the parcel compartment independently of the second door ofthe letter compartment.

FIG. 10 is a block circuit diagram of the electronic components 30-37 ofan exemplary embodiment of the parcel mailbox 2 according to theinvention, as illustrated, for example, in FIG. 1. These components canbe arranged, for example, in the interior of the parcel mailbox 2, forexample in the vicinity of the drive 14 (see FIG. 1).

A processor 30 with an assigned main memory 31 and program memory 32 isprovided. The processor executes, for example, program instructionswhich are stored in the program memory 32 and, for example, at leastpartially performs the method according to FIG. 11. The program memorycan be, for example, a persistent memory, such as, for example, aread-only memory (ROM). Information which is used to open one or moredoors 6, 7 of the parcel mailbox 2 during the checking of theauthorization of a person can also be stored in the program memory 32 orin a separate (for example persistent) memory. This information cancorrespond to the authorization information which a person uses whenproving their authorization (for example in the case of codes orsymmetrical keys as authorization information), or can correspond to theauthorization information (for example in the case of an asymmetricalpair of keys).

In a particularly simple embodiment, for example the first authorizationinformation can be embodied as a first code, and the secondauthorization information as a second code, wherein the codes areassigned, for example, to different RFID or NFC tags, for example asrespective identifier of the RFID or NFC tags. The first and secondcodes are then stored, for example, on the one hand, in the memory 32and, on the other hand, the first code is stored on a first RFID or NFCtag, and the second code is stored on a second RFID or NFC tag. This canbe done, for example, by teaching these codes to the memory 32 after thedelivery of the parcel mailbox 2. Alternatively, one or both codes canalready be stored in the memory 32 when the parcel mailbox 2 ismanufactured or when the parcel mailbox 2 is equipped with theelectronic components in FIG. 10. It is also conceivable that thecomponents in FIG. 10 are embodied at least in a partially modularfashion and are already provided with one or more of the codes (forexample at least with the second code which is assigned to the owner) atthe time of delivery to the manufacturer or installer of the parcelmailbox 2. In analogous fashion, the codes can also already be stored inthe RFID or NFC tags during their manufacture or may only be taughtthereto later. The second RFID or NFC tag is then made available to theowner of the parcel mailbox 2, while the first RFID or NFC tag is madeavailable to a delivery agent or to a group of delivery agents.

Alternatively, instead of the identifiers of the tags, it is possible totailor the process, for example, to the identifier of the parcel mailbox2. The tags which are to provide authorization for opening a parcelmailbox 2 then have, for example, authorization information stored inthem which is based on encryption of the identifier of the parcelmailbox 2 which is to be opened. The first and second authorizationinformation can then differ, for example, in that, in addition to theidentifier of the parcel mailbox 2, further information, (for example acorrespondingly set flag with the meaning “0”=first authorizationinformation and “1”=second authorization information) is added and isencrypted together with or separately from the identifier of the parcelmailbox 2, in order to obtain the first/second authorizationinformation. The parcel mailbox 2 (in particular the processor 30thereof) can then decrypt this first/second authorization information,check, on the basis of the comparison of the decrypted parcel mailboxidentifier with a version of the parcel mailbox identifier which isstored in the parcel mailbox 2 (for example in the memory 32), whetherthe authorization relates basically to the correct parcel mailbox, andon the basis of the additional decrypted information (for example of theflag) said parcel mailbox 2 can determine whether first or secondauthorization information is present. The encryption can use here, forexample, a separate key per tag, which key depends, for example, on anidentifier of the tag. Alternatively, the encryption can also use thesame key for all the tags. In the parcel mailbox, either the one keywhich is used for all the tags (or a key which corresponds thereto) isthen stored, or the respective tag-specific keys (or the keyscorresponding thereto) are stored or can be generated (for example bymeans of a predefined algorithm which takes into account the identifierof the respective tag).

The main memory 31 is used to store temporary results during theprocessing of the program instructions, this involves, for example, avolatile memory, such as, for example, a random-access memory (RAM).

The processor controls a drive controller 33, which serves to controlthe drive 14 (see FIG. 1). For example, control signals of the processorare converted, in the drive controller 33, into voltage signals for thedrive 14, in order to move the common drive element 13, coupled to thedrive 14, into a first or second adjustment position or into the closingposition. The movement position which is assumed by the common driveelement 13 can be checked, for example with one or more of the sensors34 (for example a magnetic field sensor as has already been explainedabove), and, for example, included in the control process.

Further sensors of the sensors 34 serve, for example, to detect whetherrespective doors of the doors 6, 7 are opened or closed. As explainedabove, this may involve, for example, opening sensors which are eachmounted, for example, on the ejection ram 19.

The processor 30 is also operatively connected to a communication unit35, with which, for example, a wireless exchange of information (forexample via radio or optically) with external devices is possible, forexample in order to receive, from the external devices, authorizationinformation or information which was generated using authorizationinformation, and therefore to make said information available to theprocessor 30 for checking. The communication unit 35 can be embodied,for example, as an RFID and/or NFC reading unit and be capable ofreceiving authorization information or information which was generatedusing authorization information, by means of RFID and/or NFCtransmission technology from an, in particular portable, data carrier(for example an RFID and/or NFC tag) or a portable electronic appliancewhich supports RFID and/or NFC transmission technology and is embodied,for example, as a hand-held scanner or cell phone. Instead of, or inaddition to, RFID and/or NFC transmission technology, WLAN (WirelessLocal Area Network) transmission technology, Bluetooth transmissiontechnology or transmission technology according to a cellular mobilecommunication system, such as, for example, according to the GSM (GlobalSystem for Mobile Communications) standard, UMTS (Universal MobileTelecommunications) standard or LTE (Long Term Evolution) standard canalso be used. Additionally or alternatively, the use of opticaltransmission technology is conceivable, for example via infraredcommunication.

Additionally or alternatively to the communication unit 35, an inputunit 36 is provided which is operatively coupled to the processor 30 andcan be used by persons in order to input authorization information, orinformation generated using authorization information, into the inputunit 36, and therefore make it available to the processor for checkingthe authorization. The input unit 36 can comprise, for example, akeypad, a touchpad, acoustic capturing means and/or optical capturingmeans, in particular a scanner.

Finally, an output unit 37 is optionally provided, by means of which,for example, operating states of the parcel mailbox 2, such as, forexample, a state of charge of a battery or a filling level of one ormore compartments 4, 5 of the parcel mailbox 2, or a logbook relating tothe unlocking operations which have taken place, and optionally thepieces of authorization information used in the process, can be output.The output unit can comprise an electronic read-out interface and/or anoptical and/or acoustic signaling device. For example, a state of chargeof a battery and/or a filling state can be displayed visually by meansof light sources.

The components 30-37 can be embodied, for example, together as a moduleor can be embodied at least partially as individual modules, in order toensure easy exchangeability in the case of any defects.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart 110 of an exemplary method for controlling theunlocking of one or more doors 6, 7 of a parcel mailbox 2 according tothe invention, as illustrated, for example, in FIG. 1. This method canbe performed, for example, by the processor 30 and the drive controller33 (see FIG. 10).

A starting point of the method 110 is a state in which all the doors 6,7 of the parcel mailbox 2 are closed and locked.

In a first step 111, it is checked whether first authorizationinformation was received. This can take place by receiving informationvia the communication unit 35 or inputting information into the inputunit 36. In the processor 30 it is then checked whether the receivedinformation constitutes the first authorization information, for exampleby comparison with first authorization information which is stored inthe program memory 32, or by processing (for example decrypting) thefirst authorization information and comparing the obtained result withinformation stored in the program memory 32, as has already beendescribed above.

If the processor 30 decides that first authorization information wasreceived (which means that the person who is proving their identity withthe first authorization information, is authorized to open the door 6),in step 112 the drive 14 is controlled by means of the drive controller33 in such a way that the common drive element 13 assumes the firstadjustment position, that is to say the door 6 is unlocked. Otherwise,the method jumps to step 116.

After the control of the drive 14, in step 113 it is then checked, bymeans of an opening sensor as described above, whether the door 6 wasopened. The opening can have taken place by means of the ejection ram 19or by manual opening of the door 6 by a person. If it is detected thatthe door is open, in step 114 the drive 14 is controlled by means of thedrive controller 33 in such a way that the common drive element 13assumes the closing position. Otherwise, the method 110 remains in thechecking loop 113 as to whether the door 6 is opened, until the door 6is actually opened.

After the control of the common drive elements to assume the closingposition, in step 115 it is then checked again in a checking loopwhether the door 6 was closed. If this is the case, the method 110continues to step 116, and otherwise it stays in the loop 115 until thedoor is closed. As has already been explained above, when closing occursthe door 6 is then also automatically locked owing to the snap-actionclosure.

In step 116 it is checked whether second authorization information wasreceived. This occurs in an analogous fashion to the checking for thereception of the first authorization information in step 111. If it isdetected that second authorization information was received (which meansthat the person who proves their identity with the second authorizationinformation is authorized to open the doors 6 and 7), the drive 14 iscontrolled by means of the drive controller 33 in such a way that thecommon drive element 13 assumes the second adjustment position, that isto say both doors 6, 7 are unlocked. Otherwise, the method jumps back tostep 111.

In step 118 it is in turn checked whether both doors 6, 7 are opened,for example on the basis of opening sensors.

If both doors 6, 7 are closed, in step 119 the drive 14 is controlled bymeans of the drive controller 33 in such a way that the common driveelement 13 assumes the closing position.

In step 120, it is then checked for both doors 6, 7 whether they areclosed, and only in the case of closed doors 6, 7 does the method 110jump back to step 111.

In the method 110, it is irrelevant whether it is firstly checked (step111) whether first authorization information was received and thenchecked (step 116) whether second authorization information wasreceived, this sequence can equally well also be interchanged (in eachcase with the subsequent steps). Instead of checking as to whetherfirst/second authorization information was received, it can equally wellbe checked whether information which was generated using first/secondauthorization information was received. The steps 113 and/or 118 areoptional. For example, in each case it can reliably be assumed that anopening is reliably performed via the respective ejection ram 19 or thata user manually opens the doors 6 and/or 7 directly after the unlocking,and then instead of the execution of the steps 113 and/or 118 after apredefined delay, for example after 3, 5, 10 or 20 s, to give just acouple of examples, the control of the drive 14 is performedautomatically again, in order to move the common drive element 13 intothe closing position (steps 114 and 119). The steps 115 and/or 120 canin addition basically be eliminated if it is assumed that the users ofthe parcel mailbox 2 always reliably and promptly close the doors 6, 7after the ending of the process of placing one or more shipments in theparcel mailbox or removing one or more shipments therefrom.Alternatively, in steps 115 and/or 120 in each case a further step canbe provided which outputs a signal (for example a warning tone or adigitalized spoken or synthetically generated instruction) to the userif the door 6 (step 115) or the doors 6 and 7 (step 120) have not beenclosed after a predefined time after the unlocking or after theassumption of the closing position, for example 10, 20 or 30 s, to givejust a couple of examples.

In the method 110, it can also optionally be provided that the door 6 ofthe parcel mailbox cannot be unlocked twice in direct succession usingthe first authorization information. This serves for example, to avoidthe situation in which a delivery agent (who uses the firstauthorization information) attempts to place more than one shipment inthe parcel compartment 4 of the parcel mailbox 2 (for example overseveral days), without the parcel mailbox having been emptied by theowner in the meantime (which owner uses the second authorizationinformation), and/or to avoid a situation in which a second deliveryagent who uses the first authorization information can unlock the parcelcompartment 4, into which a first delivery agent, who also uses thefirst authorization information, has already placed an shipment, beforethe parcel compartment was emptied by the owner of the parcel mailbox 2(who uses the second authorization information). This can be achieved,for example, by keeping a logbook in which information is stored, atleast for a limited time period or limited number of unlockingoperations, which indicate which authorization information was used tounlock the door 6, and an interrogation in step 111 as to whether, whenthe first authorization information is received, it relates to thesecond directly successive unlocking using the first authorizationinformation. If a plurality of delivery agents use respective differentfirst authorization information in order to unlock the door 6, it cancorrespondingly also be checked whether directly successive unlockingoperations take place for different first authorization information, andthis can be prevented. After each unlocking operation with firstauthorization information it would then firstly be necessary forunlocking with second authorization information to take place.

However, in contrast to this, for example a plurality of directlysuccessive unlocking operations can be possible using the secondauthorization information (for example so that the owner of the parcelbox can take a delivered parcel from the parcel compartment in themorning and in the afternoon can place a parcel to be collected in theparcel compartment).

FIG. 12 illustrates a flowchart 130 of an exemplary embodiment of themethod according to the invention for unlocking one or more doors 6 ofthe parcel mailbox 2 according to the invention, as illustrated inFIG. 1. In this context, for example a delivery agent uses firstauthorization information in order to prove, with respect to the parcelmailbox 2, his authorization to unlock the door 6.

In a first step 131, the first authorization information is input by thedelivery agent into the inputting means 36 (see FIG. 10) of the parcelmailbox 2 (for example by means of a keypad or other means as alreadydescribed above) or is transmitted to the communication unit 35 of theparcel mailbox 2, for example using a device on which the firstauthorization information is stored, by the delivery agent. The deliveryagent can therefore hold, for example, an RFID or NFC tag (or else anelectronic appliance such as a hand-held scanner) with firstauthorization information stored on it in front of a communication unit35 which is embodied as an RFID or NFC reading device, which causes thefirst authorization information, or information which was generatedusing the first authorization information, to be transmitted to thecommunication unit 35.

The first authorization information which is received at the parcelmailbox 2, or the information which is generated therewith, is thenchecked by the processor 30 (see FIG. 10) and causes the door 6 of theparcel compartment 4 to be unlocked (see FIG. 1).

In step 132, the delivery agent then places one or more shipments in theparcel compartment 4 and closes the door in step 133. The closing of thedoor 6 then automatically causes the door 6 to be locked owing to theembodiment of the locking element module 9 as a snap-action closure.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart 140 of a further exemplary embodiment of themethod according to the invention for unlocking one or more doors 6, 7of the parcel mailbox 2 according to the invention, performed by anowner of the parcel mailbox 2. The owner uses for this purpose thesecond authorization information which authorizes him to unlock bothdoors 6, 7.

In a first step 141, the second authorization information is input bythe owner into the input means 36 (see FIG. 10) of the parcel mailbox 2(for example by means of a keypad or other means as already describedabove) or is transmitted to the communication unit 35 of the parcelmailbox 2, for example using a device on which the first authorizationinformation is stored, by the owner. The owner can therefore hold, forexample, an RFID or NFC tag (or else an electronic appliance such as acell phone) with second authorization information stored on it in frontof a communication unit 35 which is embodied as an RFID or NFC readingdevice, which causes the second authorization information, orinformation which was generated using the second authorizationinformation, to be transmitted to the communication unit 35.

The second authorization information received at the parcel mailbox 2,or the information generated therewith is then checked by the processor30 (see FIG. 10) and causes the door 6 of the parcel compartment 4 andthe door 7 of the letter compartment 5 to be unlocked (see FIG. 1).

In step 142, the owner then removes one or more delivered shipments fromthe parcel compartment 4 or places one or more shipments to be collectedin the parcel compartment 4, and closes the door 6 in step 143. Theclosing of the door 6 then automatically causes the door 6 to be lockedowing to the embodiment of the locking element module 9 as a snap-actionclosure.

Since the door 7 of the letter compartment 5 has also been unlocked, theowner can additionally, and in contrast to the delivery agent (cf. themethod 130 in FIG. 12), also remove one or more delivered shipments, forexample letters, from the letter compartment 5, and then in step 145 canclose the door 7, which in turn causes the door 7 to be locked, sincethe locking element module 10 thereof is also embodied as a snap-actionclosure.

The methods 130 and 140 in FIGS. 12 and 13 can, of course, be performedat the same parcel mailbox 2, as is also clarified by the method 110 inFIG. 11.

The housing according to the invention was described in thisspecification as a housing which comprises a locking unit according tothe invention which is characterized, inter alia, by a common driveelement. In the same way, the method according to the invention wasdescribed as a method which serves to unlock a housing according to theinvention with such a locking unit according to the invention. Insteadof the locking unit according to the invention, it is, however, alsopossible to use, for example, separate locking units which are assignedto the respective doors of the housing and which do not have a commondrive element, and can, for example, be controlled separately, in orderto unlock the respective door (the locking can, for example, take placein turn by means of a snap-action closure), which is, however,structurally more complex and can require, in particular, a plurality ofdrives, for example one per locking unit.

Nevertheless, a housing which is modified in such a way and a method forunlocking one or more doors of this modified housing are also to beconsidered as being disclosed here, in which housing, instead of thecontrol of the drive in such a way that a first adjustment position ofthe common drive element is assumed, respective locking units arecontrolled to unlock the door or first group of doors, which arerespectively assigned to said locking units, of at least two doors ofthe housing, and instead of the control of the drive in such a way thata second adjustment position of the common drive element is assumed,respective locking units are controlled to unlock all of the doors,which are respectively assigned to said locking units, of the at leasttwo doors of the housing. Accordingly, for example, instead of thecontrol of the drive in such a way that the closing position is assumedby the common drive element, the respective locking unit is thencontrolled to assume the closing position. Such a locking unit can beembodied, for example, as a locking element module (9 or 10 in FIG. 1)and can be connected, for example, to a respective drive, but not to thedrives of other locking units. However, it is immediately clear to aperson skilled in the art that the locking unit can also be embodied inother ways, for example in the form of a bolt which can be shiftedelectromotively or magnetically, for example with spring loading inorder to implement a latch function, in order to give just one example.

In FIG. 10, for example merely the drive controller 33 would then haveto be replaced by a drive controller which can respectively separatelycontrol the drives of the respective locking units (for example of afirst locking unit assigned to the door 6 and a second locking unitassigned to the door 7), and when authorization is proven on the basisof first authorization information, said drive controller 33 controlsonly the first locking units, assigned to the parcel door 6, to unlock,but when authorization is proven on the basis of second authorizationinformation said controller 33 controls the first and second lockingunit, assigned to the parcel door 6 and to the letter door 7, to unlock.The processor 30 and the further components, in particular thecommunication unit 35, the input unit 36 and the output unit 37 wouldthen be used, for example, together and, for example, only the lockingunits would be provided multiply.

Correspondingly, the step 112 in FIG. 11 is to be modified in such a waythat merely the first locking unit is controlled to unlock the door 6,the step 114 would have to be modified in such a way that merely thefirst locking unit is moved into the closing position (in which thesnap-action closure can be triggered), the step 117 would have to bemodified in such a way that merely the first and second locking unitsare controlled to unlock the doors 6 and 7, and the step 119 would haveto be modified in such a way that the first and second locking units aremoved into the closing position (in which the snap-action closure can betriggered).

It would readily be possible for persons to operate such a modifiedhousing by means of the method described in FIGS. 12 and 13. Thestatements in this specification relating to the first and secondauthorization information, in particular the way in which saidinformation can be transmitted to the housing or can be input therein,how validity limitations can be imposed, how first authorizationinformation can be valid a plurality of housings, how firstauthorization information can be valid only for one housing, but can bestored with further first authorization information for unlockingfurther housings on the same portable electronic device, and/or how theunlocking of doors (in particular of the parcel door 6) can be preventedin the case of repeated directly successive use of the firstauthorization information, are then also readily valid for this modifiedhousing and are to be understood as being disclosed in this way.

The aspect of the validity limitation (for example temporally oraccording to the number of unlocking operations) with respect to thefirst authorization information is also to be understood as beingdisclosed independently of the housing according to the invention andthe modified housing, this is to say quite generally in a context inwhich the first authorization information can be used to unlock one ormore doors of one or more housings (for example parcel boxes or parcelletter mailboxes), for example even without one or more further doors,which may be present, of the housing or housings being able to beunlocked with second authorization information, but, for example,likewise also in a scenario in which the unlocking of one or morefurther doors is possible by means of second authorization information.Therefore, it is to be understood, for example, as being disclosed thatonly the respective parcel door or doors (or parcel compartment door ordoors) of one or more parcel boxes or parcel letter mailboxes can beunlocked with first authorization information of limited validity. Aletter door (or letter compartment door) which is then possibly providedin a parcel letter mailbox can then be unlocked, for example, in otherways, for example mechanically with a key.

The following is a list of reference numerals provided for convenientreference to the figures. The numerals listed herein are not intended tobe a definitive or exhaustive listing of the reference numerals andshould not be read as limiting any other broader recitation attributedto like reference numerals mentioned in the preceding discussion.

-   -   1 Locking unit    -   2 Parcel mailbox    -   3 Housing    -   4 First housing opening    -   5 Second housing opening    -   6 First door    -   7 Second door    -   8 Slot for inserting letters    -   9 Locking element module for the first door    -   10 Locking element module for the second door    -   11 Locking body, closing hook    -   12 Locking drive    -   13 Common drive element, rotatable axle in the form of a rod    -   14 Electromotive drive    -   15 Coupling between drive and common drive element    -   16 First rod part    -   17 Second rod part    -   18 Guide holders    -   19 Ejection ram    -   20 Mounting sleeve    -   21 Restoring spring    -   22 Locking element module body    -   23 Coupling, coupling pieces    -   24 Bearing sleeve    -   25 Cutout    -   26 Radially protruding pin    -   27 First play region    -   28 Second play region    -   29 Mounting carrier    -   30 Processor    -   31 Main memory    -   32 Program memory    -   33 Drive controller    -   34 Sensor/sensors    -   35 Communications unit    -   36 Input unit    -   37 Output unit    -   110, 130, 140 Flowcharts    -   111-120, 131-133, 141-145 Flowchart steps

The sequence of the method steps in the individual flowcharts asdescribed in this specification is not compulsory, and alternativesequences of the method steps are conceivable. The method steps can beimplemented in various ways, for example an implementation usingsoftware (by means of program instructions), hardware or a combinationof the two is conceivable for the implementation of the method steps.

The exemplary embodiments of the present invention as described in thisspecification are also to be disclosed in all combinations with oneanother. In particular, the description of a feature which is includedin an embodiment is also not to be understood here as meaning that thefeature is indispensable or essential for the function of the exemplaryembodiment, unless the converse is explicitly stated. The formulation“and/or” is to be understood in this specification as meaning that inthe case of “A and/or B” the configurations “A”, “B” and “A and B” areincluded. Formulations such as “comprise” or “with” or “having” are tobe understood as in an open fashion, that is to say that the presence offurther features is therefore possible but not compulsory.

All references, including publications, patent applications, and patentscited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent asif each reference were individually and specifically indicated to beincorporated by reference and were set forth in its entirety herein.

The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in thecontext of describing the invention (especially in the context of thefollowing claims) is to be construed to cover both the singular and theplural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted bycontext. The terms “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and “containing”are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning “including, butnot limited to,”) unless otherwise noted. Recitation of ranges of valuesherein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referringindividually to each separate value falling within the range, unlessotherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated intothe specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methodsdescribed herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwiseindicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The useof any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”)provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate the inventionand does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention unlessotherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construedas indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice ofthe invention.

Preferred embodiments of this invention are described herein, includingthe best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the invention.Variations of those preferred embodiments may become apparent to thoseof ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. Theinventors expect skilled artisans to employ such variations asappropriate, and the inventors intend for the invention to be practicedotherwise than as specifically described herein. Accordingly, thisinvention includes all modifications and equivalents of the subjectmatter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicablelaw. Moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in allpossible variations thereof is encompassed by the invention unlessotherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A locking unit for a housing, in particularfor a receptacle for objects, having at least two doors for lockingrespective housing openings, in particular leading to storagecompartments, wherein the locking unit has, for each of the doors, ineach case a locking element module with at least one locking body and alocking drive for actuating the locking body, characterized in that thelocking drive for the locking element modules has a common drive elementwhich is movable by an adjustment distance, and in a first adjustmentposition moves the locking body or bodies for merely one of the doors ormerely a first group of two groups of doors of the doors into anunlocking position, and in a second adjustment position moves thelocking bodies for all of the doors into an unlocking position, whereinthe common drive element is embodied as a rotatable axle which has firstand second rod parts which can be releasably secured to one another insuch a way that first and second rods parts rotate together.
 2. Thelocking unit as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that each lockingbody that is secured to the/each first rod part is non-movably securedto the/each first rod part, and in that each locking body that ismounted on the/each second rod part is mounted on the/each second rodpart so as to be rotatable about the axle with a defined amount of play.3. The locking unit as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that thelocking body/bodies which is/are rotatably mounted on the second rodpart/parts has/have a bearing sleeve with a cutout, which bearing sleeveis movably guided on the axle, wherein a pin which protrudes radiallyfrom the axle engages in the cutout in the bearing sleeve and as aresult defines the play with respect to the rotation of the bearingsleeve on the axle.
 4. The locking unit as claimed in claim 3,characterized in that the pin on the axle is accommodated in the lockingposition of the locking body/bodies in a central region of the cutoutwhich defines the play for the rotation of the bearing sleeve on theaxle.
 5. The locking unit as claimed in claim 2, characterized in thatone or more locking bodies are arranged on a rod part in an axialdirection in a mirror-symmetrical fashion with respect to the horizontalcentral axis of the rod part.
 6. The locking unit as claimed in claim 2,characterized in that the first and second rod parts have, at both ends,coupling pieces which are constructed symmetrically about the horizontalcentral axis of each rod part.
 7. The locking unit as claimed in claim1, characterized in that at least one of the locking element modules isembodied as a snap-action closure with the locking body/bodiesprestressed in a closing direction for automatically locking the doorwhen closing occurs.
 8. The locking unit as claimed in claim 1,characterized in that at least one locking element module of the lockingelement modules has an ejection ram, prestressed in the openingdirection, for automatically opening the door when unlocking occurs. 9.The locking unit as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the commondrive element is connected to a drive via a coupling.
 10. The lockingunit as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, after the movementfor opening the doors, the common drive element is moved back into thehome position corresponding to the locking position of the lockingbodies.
 11. The locking unit as claimed in claim 1, characterized inthat a mounting carrier is provided, on which the locking elementmodules are mountable rotated through 180° in each case with respect tothe axial direction of the common drive element, is provided.
 12. Ahousing, in particular a receptacle for objects, having at least twodoors for locking respective housing openings, in particular leading tostorage compartments, comprising a locking unit as claimed in claim 1.13. The housing as claimed in claim 12, also comprising: authorizationchecking means for checking the respective authorization of persons tounlock one or more of the doors of the housing, on the basis ofauthorization information which is respectively used by the persons whenproviding proof of authorization, and control means for controlling adrive assigned to the common drive element depending on the result ofthe checking of the authorization checking means, with the result thatthe common drive element assumes the first adjustment position if firstauthorization information was used when providing proof ofauthorization, and assumes the second adjustment position if secondauthorization information was used when providing proof ofauthorization.
 14. The housing as claimed in claim 13, wherein the firstauthorization information is usable by a delivery agent or a group ofdelivery agents and authorizes said agent/agents to unlock merely theone of the doors or merely the first group of doors of the doors inorder to permit said agent/agents to place one or more shipments in therespective housing opening or openings and/or to collect one or moreshipments, in particular parcels, from the respective housing opening oropenings, and wherein the second authorization information authorizes atleast one person assigned to the housing, in particular an owner of thehousing, to unlock all of the doors, in order to permit said person toretrieve one or more delivered shipments, in particular parcels, fromthe housing opening or openings which is/are assigned to the door or tothe first group of doors, or to place one or more shipments which are tobe collected, in particular parcels, in the housing opening which is/areassigned to the door or to the first group of doors, and to remove oneor more delivered shipments, in particular letters, from the housingopening or openings which is/are assigned to the remaining door or doorsof the doors.
 15. The housing as claimed in claim 13, wherein theauthorization checking means are configured to prevent the door or thefirst group of doors of the doors of the housing from being unlockedtwice in direct succession with respective use of the firstauthorization information.
 16. A method for unlocking one or more doorsof a housing as claimed in claim 13, the method comprising: proving,vis-à-vis the authorization checking means of the housing, theauthorization of a person to unlock one or more doors of the housing byusing the first or second authorization information.
 17. The method asclaimed in claim 16, wherein proving the authorization comprises thefollowing: inputting the first or second authorization information, orinformation which was generated using the first or second authorizationinformation, into an input unit of the housing, or transmitting, inparticular in a wireless fashion, the first or second authorizationinformation, or information which was generated using the first orsecond authorization information, to a reception unit of the housing.18. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the first authorizationinformation provides authorization for respectively unlocking one ormore doors of a plurality of housings.
 19. The method as claimed inclaim 18, wherein the first authorization information is stored on aportable electronic device, in particular on an RFID or NFC tag or on ahand-held scanner.
 20. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein thefirst authorization information provides authorization for respectivelyunlocking one or more doors of only one housing, and wherein the firstauthorization information is stored, together with further firstauthorization information which provides authorization for respectivelyunlocking one or more doors of one or more further housings, on aportable electronic device, in particular on an RFID or NFC tag or on ahand-held scanner.
 21. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein thefirst authorization information has a temporally limited validity and/orbecomes invalid after a predefined number of uses for proving theauthorization.
 22. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the firstauthorization information is used to prove the authorization, whereinthe method is a method for unlocking one or more doors of the housingand for using the housing, the method also comprising: placing one ormore shipments in the housing opening or openings which is/arerespectively assigned to the one unlocked door or to the first group ofunlocked doors, and/or collecting one or more shipments, in particularparcels, from the housing opening or openings which is/are respectivelyassigned to the one unlocked door or to the first group of unlockeddoors, and closing the unlocked door or the first group of unlockeddoors.
 23. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the secondauthorization information is used to prove the authorization, whereinthe method is a method for unlocking one or more doors of the housingand for using the housing, the method also comprising: removing one ormore delivered shipments, in particular parcels, from the housingopening or openings which is/are assigned to the unlocked door or thefirst group of unlocked doors, or placing one or more shipments whichare to be collected, in particular parcels, in the housing opening whichis/are assigned to the unlocked door or the first group of unlockeddoors, removing one or more delivered shipments, in particular letters,from the housing opening or openings which is/are assigned to theremaining unlocked door or doors, and closing the unlocked doors. 24.The locking unit as claimed in claim 2, wherein if the rotatable axle ismoved as common drive element into the first adjustment position, thedefined amount of play is utilized, and wherein the second adjustmentposition is reached by further rotating the common drive element andthus exceeding the defined amount of play.